Six months of planning preceded the journey from Gröndal to Bredäng. The decisive question: where should the Italian-made transformers – which are making their way to Stockholm by ship – be unloaded? This may seem like a simple task in a city surrounded by water and ports. But this was not the case. Every port, every pier and every wharf was looked into in the search for the right route offering enough space for the 212-tonne, 5.50-metre-high transport.

The final choice landed on Västerås. Here, the cargo could be lifted from the ship to the Lodbrok pontoon crane and taken to the Stockholm suburb of Gröndal via Lake Malar. From there, it would take to the road towards Bredäng. It had to be checked whether subterranean structures, bridges and other infrastructure would hold up under the transport load.

Jinert’s heavy-haulage division has been ready since the transport started in Gröndal. Jinert, based in Hässleholm, is one of the largest crane companies in Sweden and it also specialises in difficult, large and heavy transport.

The route from Gröndal to the transformer station in Bredäng goes through residential areas. Street signs and markers were removed to enable the transport to pass through. Over the eight-kilometre journey, a total of 90 driving plates had to be laid to reinforce the road.

Luc Pagès from the city administration was involved in the calculation of the route. He seems relaxed – everything has been calculated and checked multiple times. He gives instructions objectively: “It needs to go back a bit; the pier isn’t really made for such loads back there.” The crane now lifts the transformer and carries it over the wooden fence to the trailer. The spectators applaud loudly when the transformer is ultimately in place. Some 100 interested people gathered on the street to watch the goings-on. An hour later, the load is secure and the truck and trailer get rolling, leaving the sleeping suburb at a walking pace.

At Lake Trekanten, the road hits a steep incline under the Essingeleden bypass. A drawbar connects the towing vehicle with an additional four-axle Actros – resulting in double power for the incline.

The journey is over. The transformer is unloaded and Jörgen Frykholm looks forward to crawling back into his warm bed. The second of three transformers will be making the same journey soon.